NWS Hanford Skywarn FAQ

Snow in the Rockies; Showers and Thunderstorms Along the Gulf Coast; Potential Winter Storm for Northern Mid-Atlantic and Interior New England

A winter-like pattern will continue over much of the Lower 48 over the next few days, with snow stretching from the Rockies today into the Middle Mississippi Valley on Monday. Showers and thunderstorms will develop along the Gulf Coast and Southeast on Monday. As the storm moves northward late Monday into Tuesday, winter weather is possible from the Central Appalachians to Interior New England. Read More >

San Joaquin Valley/Hanford Weather Service Forecast Office

Frequently Asked Questions
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What is my spotter ID number? Do I get an ID card?
NWS Hanford does not issue certificates or ID cards for spotters, and we do not use spotter ID numbers.

Do I need an amateur radio license to be a storm spotter?
It depends on your community and how involved you want to be. You don’t have to be an amateur radio operator to make a severe weather report, but many spotter networks are made up of dedicated amateur radio operators who use radio to coordinate their local network and to relay reports to the NWS. If you’re interested in learning more about amateur radio, visit this site.

Spotter Training Live Course

Forecasters from the National Weather Service in Hanford conduct storm spotter training sessions each year to help prepare spotters for the upcoming severe weather season. The NWS conducts the training at the invitation of local emergency management officials who organize the training and who, in most cases, are responsible for maintaining their local storm spotter network. Most sessions are open to anyone who is interested in learning more about being a spotter, but you should check to be sure before attending a class.

Our live training sessions are approximately 1.5 hours in length. This goal of the training is to train spotter to assist local officials and the NWS with early detection of severe weather, and provide ground truth during severe weather events. The learning objectives of both our live and web based training are:

• Understand the how the NWS Integrated Warning System works and how the spotter fits into this system

• Identify the ingredients needed for organized thunderstorms

• Recognize the visual and environmental clues suggestive of severe weather

• Distinguish between legitimate clues and non-significant features associated with severe weather

• Learn how to stay safe when storm spotting

• Learn proper storm reporting procedures